Stay in Shadow
by CurlyHairedDemon
Summary: She was everyone's type, but his especially. His stocism went well with her words. Her kind smile and bright eyes did well with his invisible smirk and his enigmatic sunglasses. Why couldn't she see this? Why couldn't she see how much he cared?
1. Shadow of the Day

It was actually pretty embarrassing, in Rude's opinion.

She was beautiful. And she was his type.

Well, Tifa Lockhart was _every_ man's type. She had an interesting personality: fiery, brutally honest, kind, and almost motherly.

Any man would attest that this was a winning blend for a woman's personality.

Her dark, intelligent eyes and pretty, heart-shaped face didn't hurt either. Nor did her rather exuberant bustline, though only the drunkest of the drunk had the audacity to tell _her_ that.

Usually, these men were the ones who Rude found lying on the curb next to the bar, clutching their newly-shattered crotches as they moaned in sheer agony. Rude walked interestedly by some of these men on his birthday.

Reno, the asshole, had brought him here, Seventh Heaven, because, well, Reno was Reno, and he really felt he had his partner's best interests at heart.

Rude decided to humor Reno for tonight. The guy had never quite let the fact slide that, on one cold, drunken evening, Rude had let slip that he was utterly and unequivocally enamored with Tifa Lockhart.

Reno had snorted heartily at this piece of information, pointing out, in less articulate terms that Tifa was highly desirable and anyways, "Ain't she Cloud's girl?"

Yeah, that was probably true, Rude thought blandly.

Though if Tifa had heard anyone, especially the loudmouthed redhead referring to her as someone's 'girl', that person would have joined the pained perverts lolling on the curb.

"Hey, guys!" Tifa waved merrily from behind the bar as Rude and Reno entered. Okay, Reno strutted and Rude shuffled sheepishly behind him.

"Hey, a drink for me and my friend."

"What'll you have, then?" she asked as she mixed another drink for a different customer.

"Mm, I am in a Bloody Mary mood," Reno told her. Rude rolled his eyes. Was this flirtation to get a rise out of the man in sunglasses? That did seem like Reno.

"And what would you like?" Tifa's silver earrings glinted in the dim light of the bar. Rude adjusted his glasses. What he really craved right now was a glass of red wine, something just a little sweet. If he ordered this, though, Reno would never let him hear the end of it. While this wouldn't have bothered Rude normally, he couldn't bear to be humiliated in front of good, honest Tifa.

Well, the woman did like honesty. Maybe.

"Sweeter red wine?" he asked, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"I've got just the thing for you," she told him happily, pulling a dusty bottle from under the counter.

"Oh, now that is a pussy drink, my man," Reno had already slurped down his alcohol, increasing his ability to be an asshole exponentially.

"And you'd know, wouldn't you?" Tifa smiled sweetly. Rude grinned to her appreciatively. What a wonderful woman.

Reno seemed at a loss for words (for once). He flushed angrily, until a pretty blond came trotting past. Reno wolf-whistled appreciatively, and the buxom woman amiably extended her middle finger.

Rude bit back a laugh this time. His partner did have the worst luck with women. As Reno immediately wandered off to find some poor thing to hit on, Rude slid his glasses down his nose, just a bit, so Tifa could see him roll his eyes. Tifa laughed too, a light, tinkling sound that sent an unexpected heat shooting down to the pit of his stomach.

"So what's the occasion?" she asked curiously. Tifa knew that she was probably a bit too curious, but she could always fight her way out of any sticky situation. She knew she wouldn't get into a fight just by talking to Rude, though. Rude seemed to have something against hitting women, or at least hitting Tifa. Besides, they were all friends now.

"Birthday," he spoke softly, idly sipping the fluted glass she had handed him.

"His or yours?" Tifa sipped a glass of water, her eyes bright as she licked her lips slightly. Rude swallowed nervously as he licked his own lips, desperately ignoring the wild thoughts chasing through his brain.

Those thoughts were sort of his own fault. Rude had held Tifa one time and one time alone, technically with neither knowledge nor consent from her.

It had honestly been a pretty bad situation. Rude and Reno had sought Tifa and Cloud at an abandoned cathedral where the blond whiner (as Rude referred to him diplomatically) made his home. Why he would live in ruins when _she_ was perfectly willing to live with him was anybody's guess.

They were both lying in the grass, surrounded by lilies. _Lilies_, Rude speculated. Weren't those funeral flowers? Flowers meant to honor the dead? It was ironic that Tifa lay beautifully in the field of these slender, pale blossoms, appear to be dead. Rude had not let his panic show through to his partner. He was far more professional than that.

But inside, his heart was pounding in his chest and his eyes were narrowed as if in pain behind his enigmatic glasses. Rude's long, brusque fingers honestly shook as they felt her neck for a pulse.

He relaxed a small bit upon feeling the wavering, unsteady beat against his fingertips. Who—or _what_—could have done this to her? Rude's dark eyes quickly scanned her body, almost immediately found the round burns, two by two, scarring her. A taser. There were pronounced ones under her chin; it was clear that she had been electrocuted from that point several times.

_Tortured_.

Tifa had fought back, of course. Rude could tell by the freshly-splintered wood of the pews that a battle had ensued. But a large, limber man with a taser against a slender woman whose only weapons were her fists and her size 10 Converse All-Stars?

Of course she had been defeated. That was an unfair fight.

Rude really wanted to find this scumbag, he decided angrily as he gently scooped her up into his arms. He really wanted to pound this man's head into the pavement until he stopped moving, and then pound some more.

Right now, though, Tifa needed help. She needed to be carried to a safe place, back to the bar, presumably.

Ignoring his partner's whining at having to carry Cloud, Rude strode out the door, protectively cradling the slender form of his beloved in his built arms.

His calloused fingertips caught almost idly onto her hair. No one would ever touch her again, Rude decided almost viciously to himself.

_Except me_, he told himself quietly, planting a ghost of a kiss on the top of her head where she leaned against him.

-

Those thoughts hadn't helped with his infatuation with the dark-haired beauty, nor were they assisting now as she, with her back to him, bent down to put some glasses away.

What was it Reno had said the night of his admission? "She's a sweet piece of ass."

As crude as those words were, Rude couldn't agree more.

-


	2. Shadow of the Night

"Well, happy birthday, then," Tifa smiled down at him.

He nodded in acknowledgement. Tifa sort of liked that. The kind of men who tended to hit on her said a thousand things, none of which were interesting or even intelligent.

Rude said nothing, unless it was of utmost importance. One-word sentences were a refreshing change, she decided.

Rude's presence was nice to bask in. It was calm and quiet, but something underlying made it feel adventurous to the point of dangerous. But if there were danger, Rude wasn't the type of man to allow harm to come to anyone. Not that he was protective, but he made everything feel safe.

Safe. Safe, but dangerous.

She managed to bask in that delicious juxtaposition for the rest of the night.

-

"Thanks," Rude told her appreciatively. They stood outside the offices that also housed their living space. Tifa had helped Rude literally carry a very drunk Reno home.

"Any time," she laughed quietly, and a strand of hair came loose from behind her ear. Rude's gloved fingers twitched as he thought about tucking the piece of dark silk back into position.

"If there's anything you ever need, don't hesitate to tell me," Rude felt a bit stupid. He was trying to word that he would do anything for her into a more platonic phrasing of returning the favor of carrying a drunken redhead to his apartment.

Tifa smiled. There he was, saying only things that mattered again. "Let me see your eyes," she told him. Rude cocked an eyebrow coolly, though he quietly choked on his own spit. He tried to disguise his nervous cough.

"Come on, I _need_ to see your eyes," she folded her arms playfully across her chest.

"Why?" Rude asked, touching his sunglasses.

"To know that you actually have them!" Tifa laughed, and Rude's stomach twisted a little. He couldn't deny her when she smiled so prettily up at him. He was much too fond of the dark-haired beauty for that.

"…Fine," he said after a moment, dropping his hands so she could access the dark frames. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly as she slid his hands awkwardly into his pockets. With an unseen smile, Tifa's fingers found the earpieces of the sunglasses and carefully pulled them off. Rude sighed quietly at the feeling of her warm fingers brushing against his stony temples. He hoped the dark of night would help to disguise his pink face as a rather familiar heat rushed to the pit of his stomach.

"That's cheating," her voice came softly. Rude felt her calloused fingertips ghost over his eyelids. Rude clenched his fists around the fabric of his trousers as the temptation to seize her fingers and bring them to his lips came over him.

Rude finally opened his eyes, giving her a direct stare so she would know what a favor he was doing her. He nearly fell backwards, as Tifa had stepped very closely to him. Her bosom was maybe three inches away from contact his pectorals. Her fingers were resting softly on his rigid cheekbone. It was suddenly very quiet, even to Rude, except for the sound of Reno vomiting in the bushes.

Tifa liked his eyes. They were a cool, good-natured brown, not quite hazel, but not quite as dark as her own. Perhaps the flecks of green made them stand out. A curious little smile came across her face as her fingers floated slowly downward. Rude continued to look at her. Slender fingers grazed the side of his nose, but he continued to hold steady.

Then, she touched the corner of his mouth. She looked about ready to remove her fingers, ready to pull away from him, but then, Rude knew, the spell would be broken.

He couldn't even imagine that.

One hand went to the small of her back, the other went to swoop around behind her head, and before either of them could think about it, there lips met softly.

Rude had honestly thought that Tifa would shove him away and then proceed to beat him senseless. She was not the type of woman to enjoy the apparently spontaneous affections of someone who could only be called a friendly acquaintance. But she seemed to be enjoying his infatuation.

Maybe she loved him.

Rude thought he would float right out of his shoes. Rather, he drew her even more closely, opening his mouth against hers. Once again, she rose to the opportunity and matched the gesture, biting his lip softly.

Somehow, they were under the stoop and her back was against the door. He wasn't pushing her, not even a bit. His weight was centered as his neck arched slightly to gain fuller access to her lips. His hands rested softly on her hips, toying with the fabric of her white shirt under the black leather vest. He pulled away suddenly, and she sighed just a bit.

Rude looked down at Tifa. Her eyes were completely hidden in shadow, though her hands remained on his shoulders, her fingers still tangled around his sunglasses.

"Do you want to come in?" he asked, his voice soft and hoarse.

Tifa stood on tiptoe to kiss him again, her fingers twining with his gloved hand, "I'd like that."

-

She had slept on her back when Rude had brought her to Seventh Heaven in the throes of unconsciousness. Rude had figured that was how she had always slept. And maybe it was when she slumbered alone.

With any luck at all on his part, for Tifa, slumbering alone might be a thing of the past.

Her hair was extremely soft as it spread out across his bare chest as she spooned up against him, her head resting tenderly on her shoulder. The streetlights made an interesting pattern on the sheets through the window. Her pretty silver earrings gleamed next to his sunglasses on his bedside table.

As a Turk, Rude had always been sharp and observant. He was especially thankful for this skill now as he tried his hardest to memorize every detail. The clock read 2:23. They'd only been here for about an hour. It seemed like a lifetime to the muscular, bald man. Rain had begun to anger on the glass panes. The sheets were pulled up to the middle of his stomach, rising and falling softly as he breathed. The door was closed and locked to keep Reno out.

Tifa's dark eyes fluttered softly. She was clearly trying to stay awake for his benefit, but after a night of bartending, among _other_ things, she was clearly very tired. Rude nuzzled her hair lightly, taking a deep breath.

Tifa liked this very much. Rude was a man of few words; he had said only one thing to her since their exchange outside the door.

"I love you."

It was simple. It was wonderful. She could get used to this. She could get used to _him._

Her skin trembled slightly as his hand moved gently up and down her side. Her own hand spread lightly over the top of his abdominals. His other hand lay on her shoulder, massaging softly. He rather enjoyed how unimaginably soft the skin of her torso was against his own.

He could vaguely feel her heartbeat through her breasts. That was wonderful.

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

-

"I gotta go," the grey dawn broke all too soon for Rude's taste.

"S'only six," Rude pointed out, hoping he could convince her to stay for a while longer. His arm went around her waist as he tried to keep her close.

"Marlene and Denzel will be missing me," she explained. Her fingers trailed on his arm as she gathered her clothing off the floor.

Rude sighed a little disappointedly.

"Can we do lunch?" Tifa asked, slipping her white tank top on as soon as she had secured her undergarments.

"Not today. Shinra stuff," Rude wished he could say something a little more poignant than that.

"Oh…" Tifa was clearly disheartened. "Some other time?" Rude nodded. He heard her clinking around on the table, gather her earrings.

"Love you," she murmured softly, leaning over to kiss him lightly. Rude caught her hair on his fingers slightly. The lock on the door clicked as she finally left.

Rude sighed. He hoped Reno wouldn't say anything too weird to her.

Wait, Reno was probably hung over. Rude could destroy the evidence of his conquest before his partner could wake up and tease him mercilessly. Quickly, Rude leapt out of bed and went to pull on yesterday's trousers.

Wait, they were still in the hallway.

Grabbing a fresh pair from the bureau, he quickly gathered up the sheets and his clothing and put them into the washing machine. He quickly brushed his teeth and got a fresh blazer and shirt. Going to the bedside table, he suddenly realized something.

His sunglasses were missing.

He got on his knees and looked at the surrounding floor but came up empty. Then, the truth became apparent to the bald man.

Tifa had taken them with her. To assure that he would have to see her again and soon.

Grinning, he got to his feet.

She really was wonderful.

-

**Yay!! Fanfic that isn't bleach!!! I hope everyone liked it!**


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